Twisting and turning your body, leaning over backward, balancing on one leg, and extending your other leg to its maximum flexibility over your head is a combination that only the bravest will try on their quest to exorcise their deepest, darkest demons.
The Exorcist pose is a challenging progression of Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana (Compass Position) and a creepily distorted variation of Kala Bhairavasana. It’s a horrifyingly bendy twisting posture that makes you feel like you just stepped into a horror movie.
This challenging pose is fun and scary, just like the October holiday you love!
Exorcist Pose: Follow these three steps to cleanse your inner demons.
You can Squat to Your Grave.
Begin in Malasana or a yogic low squat. Your feet should be very far apart, your heels should turn in, and your toes slightly out.
Your hips should be lowered to the floor. You can lengthen your spine by releasing your sit bones to the ground. This will allow you to be seated and in contact with the Earth.
Bleed Your Heart
Exorcist Pose can be entered simply from Compass Pose (or a variation thereof).
You can release your right hand to the ground on the side of the right foot that has the big toe. As you begin to turn your torso, peel your heart toward the left. Take your right hand and the heel of your left foot. Then, take your left hand and press down on both.
Use your left arm to lift your right foot off the ground and then slide your knee up over your shoulder. Continue rotating your torso while peeling your chest to the left. At the same time, extend your right foot straight up into the air. Hold your right thigh against your shoulder and activate your adductor muscles to hold that leg to your torso.
Exorcise your Demons
In this Compass variation, continue to spiral your torso leftwards by peeling your chest apart and firmly pressing your right hand into the Earth. Keep your right leg firmly hugging your right shoulder.
As you continue to hold your foot in place, let go of the grip and bring your left hand down on the floor on the outside of the left foot. Your right hand should be about shoulder-width apart, with your fingers pointing towards your left foot. Your left foot should be pushed forward until your right knee is directly above your ankle. This will give you the appearance of a distorted tabletop.
Continue to extend out your right leg and open your heart. Press the floor away so that your hips are raised even higher.
You can get really crazy here by taking a little Lion’s Breath and crossing your eyes, then sticking your tongue to scare the other half of your family to death. Repeat the process on the other side to get rid of all the evil spirits that are lurking inside.
Enjoy this playful variation of two classic poses. Scare your friends by dressing up in your most bizarre costume and performing the most odd body movements. In the spirit of yoga, let go of everything that no longer serves you.
